Suspension setting or riding style??

[sno-xfan]

I am looking for a little advice from some of you that really know bike set-ups.  I come from a stock car and snowmobile racing background, and I am having a hard time with this bike getting comfortable in the corners.  I am confident I can exit a corner with the best of them, but coming in to a corner the bike feels tight to me.  By this I mean that the bike feels like the front is not solid in the corner, it gets upset by the little stones and pebbles often found in the WI corners.  Also once I roll in the throttle, it feels like the front wants to drift to the outside.  This is not a good feeling, it is not so bad at low speed, but at cruising or above cruising speed especially.  Can anyone help me??  Is this something I can fix in the suspension settings??? 

[TGalaraga]

The first thing you need to do is set the sag on the front forks and rear shock to your weight... That plays a huge part.  Depending on riding style, the amount of sag that you have on the bike (with you on it) can vary anywhere from like 20mm to 35mm.  There are also ways that you can take into account shock/fork friction by having someone help you out by measuring the sag with you on the bike, then compressing and lifting the suspension and taking an average of those three readings.

As for the drifting sensation... Check your front tire pressure.  If that's good, you might want to try firming up the compression dampening.

Hope that helps for a starting point,
TGalaraga

[Ozjack]

Tell us how heavy you are.
Then tell us if your bike is 04 or 05.
Is your suspension on standard settings?
I can tell you first off that you are more than likely on stock tyres if stones are worrying you
The symptoms you speak of can be easily rectified by suspension fiddling but we need a little more info first

[sno-xfan]

Well to start off...I'm 6'3 225lbs...I do have stock tires, no settings are stock.  I only have 3000 miles on my 04 RR (its red/black if that matters)...I didn't ride it much last year I had a broken leg. 

I have not had the sag measured, or the forks changed.  I have tried lightening and stiffening the compression settings, but have not gone too the extremes.  Front is set up on the softer side now, the rear is set hard, almost too hard.  I was mostly wondering which setting I should try first.  Learned a long time ago not to do too much at once.

[Ozjack]

Nice choice in the bike

Rear shock:
preload- setting 4
rebound- 1 1/4 turns from full IN
compression- 5 clicks out from full IN

Forks:
preload- 2 lines showing
rebound- 2 turns out from full IN
compression 1 1/2 turns from full IN

While this is a very accurate set up for stock suspension ( I`m sure you`ll be pleased) the trade off with such a set up is that it will turn slower but will feel extremely planted, will not squat under accelleration exiting corners and gives a tighter feeling at high speed (less vagueness in corners, generally doesnt dive hard on the brakes etc). Your next investment should be an Ohlins or similar rear shock with a ride height adjuster to bring the geometry back to standard-giving lightning quick turn-ins, and unstoppable cornering ability. Go chase them 1000`s

[sno-xfan]

Thanks Ozjack...I appreciate the info.  I'll let you know what I think.

[SquidLid]

His preload setting should be almost all the way in.  A person weighing 235 lbs. should have set preload at almost maximum in order to achieve the proper rider sag settings for the bike.

Get that suspension resprung/revalved.  Will make a world of difference.

[Ozjack]

Well, yes, revalving really is the way to go however its best to try and get the optimum settings for standard before any other tuning should be done(so you know what to tune etc) I was going to say full preload on the forks but the geometry would be too far offset to couter his symptoms(running wide).
The stock suspension on the RR is absolutely FANTASTIC and only needs money spent on it if you are super heavy(like sno-xfan would be huge on this bike) or extaordinarily lightweight(the spring does not allow proper sag to be set without being spongy and soft when riding).
The other odds-and-ends like rebound and such will have him not extending the forks as much on exit allowing a tighter exit line. We`ll have to see what he says from here to advise further

[sno-xfan]

 :thumb:Thanks again for the info.  I had a chance to set it and ride it last night, and it feels A LOT better.
It seems a lot softer than I was expecting.  I do a fair bit of just cruising around town, and it is way more comfortable to ride this way.  The way it was set was really harsh in the front.  I am really pleased with these settings.  I know that I am pretty big for the bike, but I didn't know if I needed to revalve.  I don't want a race set up, I want something I can be comfortable on and the settings I got from Oz are so much better than what I was riding on.  The only thing that I noticed is that the rear seemed a little loose.  Is that possible?  Actually had it slide out a little bit? I appreciate the help guys...Thanks a million.
I owe you guys a 

[madmanu]

Oz, you must do this for a living, where'd you get your numbers from? Ok, how about 170lbs 05CBR600RR? I'm getting the sags set in 2 weeks time but maybe I can play around with what you recommend and then compare it with what we come up at the track. Thanks!

[Ozjack]

Oz, you must do this for a living, where'd you get your numbers from? Ok, how about 170lbs 05CBR600RR? I'm getting the sags set in 2 weeks time but maybe I can play around with what you recommend and then compare it with what we come up at the track. Thanks!

I have never actually ridden an 05 model, so therefore have no feckin` idea what the settings are like. I make coffees for a living at a local cafe, so I`m no expert but this is what I set my bike to for a recent trackday at Winton (in Aus), I just adusted the settings logically for his weight and symptoms(there is always something wrong if someone asks about suspension). I may write a set-up on an 05 model if my mate Jase lets me fang his bike a bit, but yeah heaps of people say I`ve got a nack for suspenders
Plus you need to give me some symptoms you wanna get rid of/riding probs and I can simply tell YOU what to turn/adjust until its good for you.

The only thing that I noticed is that the rear seemed a little loose. Is that possible? Actually had it slide out a little bit?

Seeing as the thread reads " suspension or riding style" I BELIEVE the sliding could be from you not hanging off enough. Fuck getting your knee down. don`t even think about that. just keep your weight low(you dont even have to move ya legs), and look thru the turn. lead with your chin-it takes a bit of getting used to if you are a newbie or something, but it works. either that or it was the nasty stones you mentioned earlier.
The suspension settings I gave you will not cause a slide with your weight behind it(no offence intended) its just a case of hangin` the fuck off the side and staying low.

[Jeremy]

short answer:  YES

[madmanu]

Plus you need to give me some symptoms you wanna get rid of/riding probs

No, no troublesome symptons but I'm confident the sag is not optimal. Anyway, I'm getting it dialed in before my next trackday.

[Fretless33]

short answer: YES

Jeremy, you should add a quote to which reply your "short answer: YES" is too, because you could be saying "yes" to any of the 11 replies previous to your "short answer."

[TGalaraga]

OZ,

I ride an 03, recently adjusted the preload and set the sag, but still find the front end a little twitchy.  I'm 5'8" about 155 lbs (with gear on). and ride an 03 model.  I figure I should adjust the rebound dampening, but aren't too sure if I'll need to dial in the compression dampening in to match.  What's the general idea, if there is one, regarding adjusting one setting and others to match?

Thanks for all your help everyone,
TGalaraga

PS: Sorry if this seems like I'm hijacking the thread... I just figured while people were at helping him out, people wouldn't mind helping someone else out as well.